


Soul That Lives Within

by Maverick



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:07:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25650022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maverick/pseuds/Maverick
Summary: The Seven Knightly Virtues through the eyes of Nicolo di GenovaAKA Nicky writes a love poem to Joe.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 9
Kudos: 66





	Soul That Lives Within

**Author's Note:**

> So in an effort to stretch my writing muscle, I issued a challenge to myself to write a drabble for each of the [Seven Knightly Virtues ](http://marktoci.weebly.com/7-knightly-virtues.html)found on this list. I had thought it would be a way to examine the character of Nicky. I was wrong as Nicky had other ideas.
> 
> FYI, I am of the Old Guard (or maybe I'm just old) that says a drabble is always and only 100 words, no more, no less. That is where the challenge lies. 
> 
> No beta but thanks to Pollitt for encouragement and feeding the muses.
> 
> Title from a Rumi quote: _I am not this hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within._

_Courage_

Courage is not war. It’s not looking one’s enemy in the eye and plunging the sword deep. No, courage is accepting the realization that belief is not settled like law. It’s knowing your nemesis may be just in their own pursuit. Courage is admitting your fault and working toward absolution without expectation or entitlement. Courage is holding out your hand in peace, accepting there is a better way. Courage is welcoming that hand and walking a new path together forever. Nicky doesn’t remember who reached out first, but he can still feel that spark of rightness deep in his bones.

_Justice_

For centuries, Nicky has watched mankind misappropriate justice for revenge. It’s a universal theme across time and millenia. But the truth is that justice can only be acheived when absent of retribution. Justice is not only righting a wrong, it’s balancing the scales. It’s not allowing personal prejudices to predetermine the outcome. It is taking oneself out of the equation. Sometimes justice requires death and Nicky’s had several lifetimes to tackle that irony. No, he does not relish his role as executioner, but he will wield his weapon when necessary. He just makes sure it’s never for his own edification.

_Mercy_

Mercy is a double edged sword.

It can curve inward like a shamshir to reveal rot and misguided righteousness that needs to be cauterized to heal. (Mercy to oneself) 

It can stab forward -- sharp and deep -- steadied by a cruciform hilt where practice meets purpose to help guide and reform. (Mercy to others) And it can swing wide like an axe spreading goodness all around through both acts and action. (Mercy for the greater good)

Nicky still believes that mercy is the true way to grace, but he’s learned that sometimes the only mercy left is a swift killing blow.

_Generosity_

After nearly a millennium, Nicky knows that generosity is not about items, but instead about ideas. It’s about recognizing someone’s worth and helping them fulfill their potential. But it’s also about being there to tell them when they’re wrong and helping them right their path. It’s understanding how actions ripple out across time and space, how a good deed today will help another bloom tomorrow. He is often framed as the generous one but that’s only because of Joe. His beloved’s generosity buoys his own. Together they are able to look outside themselves to work for the betterment of others.

_Faith_

Nicky’s faith, like a stone smoothed by the constant lap of water, has been reshaped many times over the millenia. First battered and bruised by the recognition that what he had pledged in the name of God had been a fallacy born of hate. Then coaxed and nurtured back to glory by a man who’s own steadfast belief guided them down a path where purpose and promise not only met but flourished. Now their roots lay entwined and planted so deep that when Nicky’s faith falters, he just needs to look into his Yusef’s eyes for it to be rekindled.

_Nobility_

From his days as a knight until today, Nicky’s idea of nobility has transmuted from a rigid dogma followed at all costs to a tenet born of understanding. Conviction and righteousness have their place but only when they’re tempered by truth and compassion. A blind faith is not noble. In fact, it sacrifices the very virtue it is trying to illuminate. True nobility lies in the lessons learned, in the forgiveness given and accepted. Nobility is knowing the difference between right and wrong and always striving for the side of right. For Nicky, the face of nobility is Yusuf Al-Kaysani.

_Hope_

Hope is in the details often overlooked. It’s the flower sprouting in the cracks of a sidewalk. It’s the giggle of a small child at their first taste of chocolate. It’s knowing that even in the mess and muck that humanity has wrought, there will always be someone striving for good. Joe likes to tease him for his optimism, but he cannot help but rejoice in life’s splendor. How can he not be hopeful when he has been blessed with an everlasting love? Hope will live within him for as long as he sleeps and wakes in his beloved’s arms. 


End file.
